Study Guide: The Medieval Church
Catholic Influence
Leaders in the Roman Catholic Church wanted to develop a civilization in Western Europe that was based on Christian ideals.
The Roman Catholic Church united Western Europeans and took the lead in government, law, art, and learning for hundreds of years.
The Roman Catholic Church had great influence during the middle ages it also played an important part in political life.
Life revolved around the Church-holidays were honored, no eating meat on Fridays, on Sundays people went to mass, church leaders ran schools and hospitals, monks provided food and shelter and performed marriages.
Together with Kings and nobles, church officials helped govern Western Europe. The church served as advisers to kings.
The Church told people to obey the king’s laws unless they went against canon laws, or laws set up by the church.
People who disobeyed the canon laws or Pope were excommunicated.
Excommunicated means losing membership in the Church.
A group of Church leaders set up the Inquisition to help enforce canon laws to stop the spread of Heresy, which is going against the church.
Attempts at Reform
The Church became rich during the middle ages. Church members supported it by giving tithes or offerings equal to 10% of their income.
Religious leaders became careless in carrying out their duties and sold positions to people who were not religious.
To fight corruption in the Church deeply religious nobles founded new monasteries that directly followed the Benedictine Rule. One of the most important of these monasteries was Cluny. The monks there led simple lives and spent most of their time praying.
Pope Gregory the VII continued with reforms. By this time the Pope had become not only a powerful religious leader, but also political leader. Pope Gregory has two goals as Pope.
#1 He wanted to ride the Church of control by kings and nobles.
#2 He wanted to increase the Pope’s power over Church officials.
In order to accomplish these goals the Pope removed church officials that bought their offices and forbid Bishops and priest to marry.
In 1075 the Pope declared that he was above all kings and nobles.
Some King’s viewed his acts as an attack on their power.
Church reforms in the 1200s were carried out by preachers called Friars. Friars were different from other monks. They did not marry and followed monastic rules.
The well-known orders or groups of friars, were the Franciscans and Dominicans.
Franciscans were known for cheerfulness and confidence that God would take care of them.
The Dominicans lived a life of poverty.
Learning
During the late Middle Ages, the rise of governments brought more security, and the economy grew stronger this lead to more time for learning.
Cathedrals are churches head by bishops.
The schools were to prepare the sons of nobles for service in the church. They also trained students to be government workers, lawyers, and teachers.
They taught seven subjects-grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music.
Books were few and costly, so students memorized the teachers’ lessons in dark cold halls.
Students began to complain about teachers not holding enough classes and not having enough subjects so Unions or groups of people joined together for a common cause were created which lead to Universities or groups of teachers and students devoted to learning .
Thomas Aquinas believed that both faith and reasons were gifts from God. He wrote a book called Summa Theologica or A Summary of religious thought.
The Crusades
For hundreds of years, Christians from western Europe had visited shrines in Jerusalem.
In 1071 Ottoman Turks conquered Jerusalem and took control of the holy shrines. When news reached Western Europe they were shocked and as a result a series of holy wars called crusades when on for 200 years.
Pope Urban II called on all Christians to go fight against the Turks.
The Peasant’s Crusade
Using the war cry “Dues vult” which means “It is the will of God” the people felt it was their duty to take back the Holy Land. By Peter the Hermit.
Pope Urban wanted nobles to lead the crusade, but as they got ready a group of peasants formed their own army and left for the holy land.
As they marched through Europe they looted, killed and attacked farmers. By the time they reached Constantinople they had lost 1/3 of their army. The army was defeat by the Turks bowman.
The Nobles Crusade
In 1097, the nobles set out they brought with them vassals, wives, children, clerks, cooks and blacksmiths.
About 30,000 Crusade arrived in Asia Minor and defeated the Turks. In 1099 they reached Jerusalem and captured the Holy city.
Once they capture Jerusalem, they lost their religious enthusiasm and returned home.
Many stayed and set up a kingdom called Outremer. Over time they began to blend in with the Arabs and found their old ways of living did not suit their new surroundings.
Saladin and the Crusade of Kings
In 1174 a Muslim leader named Saladin became ruler of Egypt. He unit the Muslims. Saladin took control of the Holy land. King Richard I of England joined the Crusades against Saladin. The Kings Crusade is called a failure. Jerusalem was control by the Muslims.
Effects of the Crusade
Returning crusaders brought many new products back with them.
There was a demand for these new products in Europe
Trade, merchants and trade cities.
A mixing of cultures ( European, Byzantine and Arabic Empires) resulted.
Scientists became interested in learning Muslim technologies.
The authority of kings increased. Many nobles died and large armies were expensive to supply.
Feudalism began to dissolve.
The society of Western Europe advanced; towns grew and the arts thrived.